skimpy en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
From skimp + -y.
Meanings
-
Small or inadequate; not generous; diminutive.
Desert Hearts is one of the high spots in the skimpy history of gay movies — and probably the high spot in the even more barren history of lesbian films.
1986 April 19, Michael Bronski, “Two Views on Desert Hearts: Sexy? or simply Slow?”, in Gay Community News, page 9:He was of a pallid complexion, hair of a kind of dirty fairness, greyish eyes, and a skimpy, immature moustache under his peaked indeterminate nose.
1896, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, The Wheels of Chance: A Holiday Adventure, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent and Co.; New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Co., →OCLC:They served a pretty skimpy portion of ice cream as the free birthday dessert.
[T]he driver was delayed there by a skimpy little woman with a thin piping voice practised in the art of defeating escape from it by a ceaseless stream of gabble.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 26:Food might be a tad skimpy in the portions.
1992, Toni Morrison, Jazz, Vintage (2016), page 72:You was a po' skimpy little boy no mo' than about fo'teen when you lef' home to come No'th; but I knowed you the minute I sot eyes on you.
1909, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “Thimble, Thimble”, in Options:
-
(of a garment) Very small, light, or revealing.
His suit, the latest thing in Old Eli Togs, was skin-tight, with skimpy trousers to the tops of his glaring tan boots, a chorus-man waistline, pattern of an agitated check, and across the back a belt which belted nothing.
1922, Sinclair Lewis, chapter II, in Babbitt, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace and Company, →OCLC:Have you ever seen such a skimpy bikini?
But he holds some hope that the skimpy brief is becoming more acceptable, especially given the attention that even young British men give to honing their bodies.
2020 August 9, Richard Godwin, “Tight fit: the comeback of the skimpy swimming brief”, in The Observer, →ISSN:The long, skimpy soutane accentuated the tallness of his stature; he carried his powerful torso thrown forward; […]
1904 January 29 – October 7, Joseph Conrad, Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard, London; New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers […], published 1904, →OCLC:Denis Breen in skimpy frockcoat and blue canvas shoes shuffled out of Harrison’s hugging two heavy tomes to his ribs.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[8]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:Chang the elderly butler entered, wearing only a pair of skimpy black underpants.
2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
- (of a person) Wearing skimpy clothing; scantily clad.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| skimpiest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| skimpier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
skimpily · unskimpy · skimpiness
Translations (31)
de knapp (small or inadequate; not generous) · bg оскъден (small or inadequate; not generous) · cs nedostatečný (small or inadequate; not generous) · cs sporý (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · fi lyhyt (small or inadequate; not generous) · pl kusy (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · de knapp (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · ru открове́нный (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · sv snål (small or inadequate; not generous) · fi niukka (small or inadequate; not generous) · it striminzito (small or inadequate; not generous) · pl skąpy (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · th ล่อแหลม (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · mk о́скуден (small or inadequate; not generous) · de sparsam (small or inadequate; not generous) · cs příliš malý (small or inadequate; not generous) · sv torftig (small or inadequate; not generous) · cs chabý (small or inadequate; not generous) · ru ску́дный (small or inadequate; not generous) · mk те́сен (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · de spärlich (small or inadequate; not generous) · fi paljastava (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · cs sporý (small or inadequate; not generous) · fi pikku- (small or inadequate; not generous) · de dürftig (small or inadequate; not generous) · it scinto (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · sv avslöjande (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · fi niukka (of a garment, very small, light, or revealing) · bg недостатъчен (small or inadequate; not generous) · pl skąpy (small or inadequate; not generous) · mk ску́ден (small or inadequate; not generous)